Dear Love,
The sun, the chill,
The unexplainable thrill,
When the raindrops spill,
And each time I brush past anything hard,
A cut, an abrasion,
Still I let out no shrill
Every day in contact with new elements,
Some good with positive compliments,
Some hurtful, destroying my confidence,
But I am that solid fence,
soft yet dense,
Wounds I got during self-defence,
Yet I fight in all gentleness,
I detect the most important sense,
No pride but no difference.
Your love just like me, faces all the weathers,
Still You defend, Your love never withers,
Love that was wounded for the lost sinner,
Scars that called Love a winner,
You were broken yet You heal,
Every tear, every shame,
Every unspoken pain, You feel.
Love,
The Skin
Footnotes:
Now this one was particularly very difficult for me. Bear everything? Are you serious? I cannot bear it when people talk to me or someone else in a demeaning fashion, I cannot bear watching injustice happen in front of me and, I cannot bear associating with people who act entitled. Some of thesynonyms of the word ‘bear’ are ‘tolerate’ ‘endure’ and ‘put up with’. No, no and a BIG NO. I cannot ‘put up with’ things, I walk away when it irritates me. Isn’t that essential for my sanity? Not as per God’s standards of love apparently!
Being quiet is so hard at times. One has to blurt out opinions and arguments when the other makes a derogatory statement. “How did Jesus do it?” I often think. He could because He took holiness seriously; He took love seriously; and He took pleasing the Father seriously.
Our skin, explains the idea of ‘bearing all things’ so well. It tolerates a lot—harsh weather, makeup, bruises. The best part is that it takes effort to heal wounds and allergies by itselfunless it goes out of hand wherein medicine is required. However, to a large extent, the skin endures a lot of unfavourable conditions. And like many other things, we have taken this for granted as well. When I turned 15, I got a major acne problem. It was all over my face, neck, back and chest. No, it wasn’t heat boils as many said initially; it was sebum filled acne. And these tiny boils left scars that ruined one’s confidence and self-esteem. My own parents were ashamed of my acne issue. They blamed it on my eating habits and lifestyle. Maybe, it was my mistake. Maybe, I did not take care of myself properly. I was taken to a dermatologist who smirked at my condition and looked at me with disgust. I saw no improvement even after taking medicines or applying lotions. My relatives and neighbours made comments that completely destroyed my esteem. I started performing poorly in academics as well at the time. Considering the fact that I was a top student in the past, my relatives and parents tagged it as a demonic attack.
I had it! I began this cycle of retorting to anything and everything that even remotely involved my acne issue. I hit people with my words; my anger sometimes got so bad that some guests who came home had to leave on a bitter note. I banned people from coming to my house; I told my parents to stop talking to me. I stopped going for family functions or any social gathering for that matter. I was red with anger all the time.
It took a lot for God to tone me down. I was what they call “deep down in the miry clay”. Five years and maybe a little more, God orchestrated circumstances and people in my life who taught me the importance of keeping my eyes, ears and heart fixed on the Lord alone. Everyone in this world will let you down—your parents, friends, relatives, neighbours, teachers, doctors—but Jesus never has and never will let you down. You are called to bite your tongue and bear these temporary nuisances of the world. It is for a short period of time. And the best part is that people will get tired eventually because they know that you don’t react to their comments. People want drama, elaborate reactions—all for their personal entertainment. Don’t give them that. ‘Tolerate’ their scornful words for this is the best way you can reflect God’s love to them.
So, bear…all things. ‘Tis hard but they say, the road to heaven is narrow and crooked. Once you reach there though, it is nothing but streets of gold.